


Confessions and Hotel Water

by J (j_writes)



Category: Sports Night
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-01
Updated: 2011-08-01
Packaged: 2017-10-22 01:45:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/232331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/j_writes/pseuds/J
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You do realize that you can go downstairs and buy a bottle of water from the gift shop, right?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Confessions and Hotel Water

“Why is it that the water in this hotel tastes the same as the water in every other hotel in the country?” Dan shifted the phone from one shoulder to the other as he refilled his glass in the sink, and he could practically hear Casey shrugging on the other end of the line.

“Probably has something to do with the stuff they treat it with…” he began, but before he could launch into some boring explanation, Dan cut him off.

“I mean,” he continued, “it’s not like it’s just this chain whose water tastes the same, you know? Because that might make sense. But you go to a Marriott in Tuscon or a Hilton in Orlando, and the water tastes exactly the same. Don’t you think that’s a little…I don’t know, unnerving?”

“Not really.”

“Well you should.”

“Noted. So, was there a purpose to this call, other than to complain about the taste of hotel water?”

Dan paused, glass halfway to his lips. Was there? He couldn’t for the life of him remember. “Nope,” he decided, taking a sip and grimacing. “And the other thing is, they give you water, right over there in the minibar, but you have to pay some obscene amount of money to get it out. So it just sits there. Mocking you with its purified goodness.”

“Dan, you do realize that you can go downstairs and buy a bottle of water from the gift shop, right?”

He sighed. “You’re missing the point.”

“You mean there was a point?”

“There was,” he said, although he couldn’t quite remember what it was. It had probably been a very good point.

There was a pause on the other end of the line, and when Casey spoke again some of the humor had drained out of his voice. “So why did you really call, Danny?”

Dan frowned. He hadn’t called to talk about it, he really hadn’t. In fact, he had called for the express purpose of _not_ talking about it. “No reason.”

“Dan.”

“They offered me the show, Casey.” And there it was.

There was a subtle pause, and if he didn’t know Casey so well he would never have even noticed. But he did know him that well, and that was what made this so hard. “Well we knew that was going to happen,” Casey said, and even Dan couldn’t pick up on anything in his voice.

“Yeah,” he agreed dully, because they had known. He had known coming out here, and he had come anyway.

“You going to take it?” And this time there was something there, some hint of emotion, but he couldn’t decipher what it was.

“No, I…no. It’s…” he shook his head. “It’s a really good offer, Case.”

“Then you should take it.”

He leaned his forehead against the cool glass of the window, looking out at the city lights. “We’ve been through this, remember? We did this years ago, when we thought we were going under the first time. It didn’t happen then, it’s not going to happen now, and I’m not going to take this damn offer.”

“Then why’d you go out there?” And this was why he hadn’t wanted to talk about it, because why had he come, really, if he hadn’t been considering it?

“I don’t know,” he said, slumping down into one of the chairs by the window. “I…don’t know.” Then he paused, Casey’s words finally registering. “You really think I should take it?”

There was another long pause. “Doesn’t matter what I think.”

“No, of course not, because you’re just a completely irrelevant person with whom I happen to spend twelve hours of every day of my life, not to mention someone whose career is going to be directly affected by my decision. Of course I wouldn’t want to hear what you have to say about it.” He rolled his eyes. “So. Tell me. Do you want me to take the show?”

“It’d be better for your career,” Casey said slowly, “having your own show out there. And the money…I’m sure that’s better.”

“Not what I asked.” He was beginning to wonder why he was pushing so hard, what he was looking for. They had been through this, years ago, and he had heard Casey’s answer then, had heard Casey telling him to go and not look back. Why should he think this time would be any different?

“No,” Casey said, and it was quiet enough that Dan almost wasn’t sure he’d heard him.

“No what?”

“No, I don’t want you to go.”

He raised his eyebrows. “You just said—“

“Look, do I think you should go? Hell yes. Would I go if I didn’t have Charlie to think of? Probably. But do I want you to? No. And if that makes me some kind of…I don’t know, hypocrite or ass or something, than that’s what I am, but I don’t want you to take the offer.” It all came out in a rush, like he was trying to get the words out before he lost the nerve. Dan was still trying to think of something to say in return when Casey continued. “But I don’t want you to stay because of that. I don’t want you to put your career on hold for this, for me.”

“Like you did?” The words were out there before he even thought them, and there was no way to take them back.

Casey was silent for a long time, and Dan was just beginning to think that he might hang up on him when he finally replied. “You never held me back, Danny. Not for a second.”

They sat quietly for a few minutes while Dan ran through his options of things to say to that. Eventually, he settled for “I’m not taking it.”

“I know.”

That made him laugh a little. “No you don’t. _I_ didn’t even know until about thirty seconds ago.”

“I did.” He could hear Casey’s smug grin and it made him smile back.

“Of course you did. Because you’re just that good.”

“This is true,” Casey agreed. “So you coming home tomorrow?”

“Damn right I am. I’m not sitting here and watching that replacement guy fuck up our show for another night. Where did Dana dig up that guy anyway?”

“I’ve found it’s safer not to ask.”

“Fair enough. Plus, I don’t think I could stand drinking hotel water for another day. I swear, I’m getting hotel cooties.”

“Danny, do me a favor and go look in the side pocket of your bag, ok?”

Dan frowned at the phone, then leaned over to unzip his suitcase. Two bottles of water tumbled out. “You packed me water? You’re my hero, you know that?”

“I know. But it’s entirely self-serving, I assure you. This way, I don’t have to listen to you bitch, and I don’t get infected by your hotel cooties when you get home.”

“Ah, so you only help me when it helps yourself. I see how it is. I always knew you were a selfish bastard.”

“Good night, Danny.”

“Night, Casey. See you tomorrow.”


End file.
